1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical penetrator assemblies for feed through of electrical power through the wall of a pressurized vessel or the like, and is particularly concerned with an electrical penetrator assembly for subsea use.
2. Related Art
Electrical penetrators are used to power subsea electric submersible pump (ESP) equipment and the like which pump hydrocarbons in oil well installations, and also in other applications such as high pressure downhole electrical penetrations and other penetrations to provide power to various types of subsea equipment. The penetrator extends through the wall or bulkhead of the vessel in which the equipment is located, and is normally connected to power cables at one end for connecting the equipment to an external power source. In an ESP application, the connection or penetrator cannot be isolated from the pumping pressure for practical reasons. This creates an extreme environment for the connector or penetrator in terms of pressure, temperature, and high voltage. The penetrator must transfer power to the motor as well as maintaining a pressure barrier for both internal pressure created by the ESP and external pressure caused by the depth in seawater. The temperatures are increased due to fluid temperatures as well as resistive heating of the electrical elements.
In a typical electrical penetrator or feed through arrangement, a one-piece conductor such as a conductive connector pin extends through a bore in an insulating sleeve or body, with appropriate seals brazed or bonded between the outer body and pin at each end of the penetrator assembly. This causes problems in manufacture and in subsequent use of the penetrator, due to the different coefficients of expansion of the different materials used in the penetrator assembly. In one known arrangement, the seals comprise metal sealing sleeves which seal the insulating sleeve of ceramic or the like to the conductive connector pin body. Due to the heat involved during the brazing or bonding process, the parts expand by different amounts. Once the penetrator assembly is allowed to cool, the different rates of shrinkage of the different material parts causes stress on the ceramic housing material, brittle bonds, or both, and may lead to failure of the seal. Additionally, most existing penetrators are designed for high pressure on one side only, and application of pressure on the other side may cause additional stress on the seal arrangement and the ceramic housing.